WorldWideScience
 
 
1

The magnetopause  

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A review of theoretical and observational research on the magnetopause during 1987-1990. Starting with recent work on magnetic reconnection, the review proceeds to magnetopause surface wave phenomena, including the controversy over the role of solar wind pressure pulses in the coupling process and in the mimicking of flux transfer events signatures, and finishes with the magnetopause structure and associated wave phenomena. Recent advances in computer modeling of the magnetopause and the pertinent processes are also discussed. 108 refs.

1991-01-01

2

Geosynchronous orbit magnetopause crossings  

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this study we extend the analysis of magnetopause crossings observed with Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer measurements to examine a much larger statistical data set. This study examines 39 maiznetosheath/LLBL intervals from 79 spacecraft-months of observations: these observations were taken from a survey of data from the start of each spacecraft mission and extending through March 1993. In contrast to the previous findings, we find no evidence for a significant dawn/dusk asymmetry in geosynchronous magnetopause crossings.

1994-07-01

3

Precipitation of ions induced by nonadiabatic motion in the outer cusp region  

Science.gov (United States)

The transport of magnetospheric particles in the outer cusp region is examined by means of three-dimensional single particle codes. It is shown that, at high altitudes, particles can experience nonadiabatic motions leading to significant magnetic moment changes. It is demonstrated that this nonadiabatic behavior can be interpreted, at least partly, by the action of an impulsive centrifugal force perturbing the particle gyromotion. Systematic trajectory calculations reveal that plasma sheet ions which ExB convert toward the magnetopause from low L-shells in the dayside sector are subjected to such nonadiabatic motions. As a result of magnetic moment damping, a number of them are injected into the loss cone and subsequently precipitate near the cusp equatorward edge.

4

Dayside auroral activity and magnetospheric boundary layer phenomena  

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Selected case studies of auroral structure/activity observed at different local times on the dayside are presented and discussed in the context of electrodynamic coupling between the different magnetospheric boundary regions and the ionosphere. The first case addresses the question of the auroral signatures of the two boundary regions referred to as cusp and cleft/LLBL. Combined ground-based and satellite data reveal the different latitudinal zones of auroral forms/particle precipitation/field-aligned current and the relationship with the respective magnetospheric plasma populations, i.e. CPS, BPS, LLBL, and the plasma mantle. Midday auroral breakup events and the related ionospheric ion drift and magnetic observations show many of the features that have been predicted to be ionospheric signatures of flux transfer events. An alternative explanation that has been proposed by others, i.e. ionospheric effect of magnetopause perturbations excited by dynamic pressure ...

1990-07-01